Kansas City, MO-KS metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does a waiter or waitress make in Kansas City, MO?

In the Kansas City, MO-KS metropolitan area, waiters or waitresses earned a median of $36,080 a year ($17.35 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 16,540 of these jobs there. That is 29% below the $50,820 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $28,600 and $63,260; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and Kansas tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $29,957 in take-home pay.

Waiter or waitress pay in Kansas City, MO at a glance

Median salary

$36,080$17.35 per hour · $3,007 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$28,600$13.75/hr
25th percentile$28,600$13.75/hr
75th percentile$47,480$22.83/hr
90th percentile$63,260$30.41/hr
Jobs in this metro16,540Location quotient 1.03 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here29% belowAll-jobs median $50,820
Against Kansasabout the same asStatewide median $36,120
Against the U.S.2% aboveNational median $35,230

Run the numbers on your own pay

Same U.S. tax tables as the rest of the site. Change the salary, state, or filing status.

Waiter or waitress salary in Kansas City, MO after taxes

$36,080
$15,000$75,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$36,080
Net 83%
Fed 6%
KS 3%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$29,957After all taxes
Monthly deposit$2,496Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$1,152Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate17%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$2,150 / yr
Kansas state income tax$1,214 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$2,760 / yr

Waiters or waitresses pay range in Kansas City, MO, hourly and yearly

BLS May 2025 estimates for the Kansas City, MO-KS metropolitan statistical area. Monthly and take-home figures are ours, computed from the annual wage.

What waiters or waitresses earned in the Kansas City, MO-KS metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (KS)
10th percentile$13.75/hr$2,383$28,600$24,337
25th percentile$13.75/hr$2,383$28,600$24,337
MedianMedian$17.35/hr$3,007$36,080$29,957
75th percentile$22.83/hr$3,957$47,480$38,480
90th percentile$30.41/hr$5,272$63,260$50,279

Is $36,080 a good salary in Kansas City, MO?

It depends on what else people there earn and what things cost. Here is the median for waiters or waitresses next to both.

Median household income$83,460Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)92.57.5% below national average
One paycheck vs. a household43.2%of area median income

The same job statewide and nationally, and a calculator for your own paycheck.

Do waiters or waitresses pay tax on tips?

Yes, but less than before. This job is on the Treasury's list of tipped occupations, so from 2025 through 2028 up to $25,000 a year of reported tips comes off federal taxable income, shrinking above $150,000 of income ($300,000 joint). Social Security and Medicare are still owed on every tip, and most states still tax them. The BLS pay figures on this page already include tips as employers report them.

See what the tips deduction saves you →

Waiter or waitress pay in Kansas City, MO: common questions

What is the median salary for waiters or waitresses in Kansas City, MO-KS?

The BLS median annual wage for waiters or waitresses in the Kansas City, MO-KS metro area was $36,080 in May 2025, about $3,007 a month or $17.35 an hour. Statewide, the Kansas median for this job is $36,120, so the metro pays about the same as the state.

What is the hourly pay for waiters or waitresses in Kansas City, MO-KS?

The median hourly wage for waiters or waitresses in Kansas City, MO-KS was $17.35 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $13.75 an hour and one in ten earned more than $30.41.

How many waiters or waitresses work in Kansas City, MO-KS?

BLS estimated 16,540 jobs for waiters or waitresses in the metro in May 2025, or 15.1 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 1.03 means the job is about as common here as in the country as a whole.

What is the pay range for waiters or waitresses in Kansas City, MO-KS?

BLS wage estimates for waiters or waitresses in Kansas City, MO-KS run from $28,600 at the 10th percentile to $28,600 at the 25th, $47,480 at the 75th, and $63,260 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do waiters or waitresses take home after taxes in Kansas City, MO-KS?

On a median gross salary of $36,080, an estimated $29,957 lands in net take-home pay per year ($1,152 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in Kansas in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $6,123 (an effective rate of 17%).

How much do waiters or waitresses make per month in Kansas City, MO-KS?

On the median annual salary of $36,080, gross monthly income is $3,007. After federal, FICA, and Kansas state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $2,496 per month (or $1,152 every two weeks).

Is $36,080 a good salary in Kansas City, MO-KS?

At $36,080, the median salary for waiters or waitresses is 43.2% of the Kansas City, MO-KS median household income ($83,460). It is 29% below the $50,820 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 92.5, so prices here run 7.5% below the U.S. average.